1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a small-sized recording apparatus which is capable of reproducing at a high speed image information such as characters or patterns from an electronic computer, a facsimile image transmitter, etc., and, more particularly, to an apparatus which forms a light image by modulating, deflecting, and controlling a laser beam in accordance with such image information, and which reproduces, as an output, high quality hard copies at a high speed by applying the image transfer type electrophotographic method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent trends toward high performance of electronic computers has given rise to the need for development of high-speed and high-quality output units for image information such as patterns, characters, etc.. As the exclusive apparatus for outputting character information at a high speed, there have heretofore been known mechanical impact line printers of a drum type, multi-stylus electrostatic printers, CRT printers comprising a combination of CRT (chiefly OFT) and electrophotographic method.
However, the mechanical impact line printers are limited in speed, and have such disadvantages as tremendous noise from mechanical parts, and poor reliability in operation, and so on.
The multi-stylus electrostatic printers are limited in resolving power, and have the disadvantage that expensive electrostatic recording paper must be used as the recording material.
With the CRT printers, it is difficult to maintain a high quality printing condition for a long period of time owing to stability of the CRT driver circuit, and the entire apparatus becomes disadvantageously bulky due to the large size of the CRT.
Thus, the pattern or character output units of the conventional system have encountered various problems in outputting characters (particularly Chinese characters) at high speed with good reproducing quality. Further, as the units for outputting pattern information alone, there have been mechanical X-Y plotters, drafters, multi-stylus electrostatic plotters, CRT plotters which optically record the pattern information displayed on a displaying CRT. However, the mechanical X-Y plotters and drafters are disadvantageous in their very slow recording speed, the multi-stylus electrostatic plotters are disadvantageous in their low resolving power and in their use of special recording paper which is expensive, and the CRT plotters are also disadvantageous in their low resolving power of the CRT itself, poor stability and deficient quantity of light.